Uncovering Lost Wiki Treasures Pt 3 - Candi vs Candi

In the late 2000s, there was some confusion by webcomic afficionados about the Candi Flippo-Levens featuring in Ciem. Namely, suspicion that she was somehow based on the titular Candi from Starline Hodge's work. However, in spite superficial similarities, the two Candis were not at all the same, nor inspired by one another. A whole wiki article was created specifically to outline this issue.

Creator comparisons and contrasts

• Both creators were born in Florida in 1983, and came up with their respective protagonists around 2004-2005. While neither inspired the other, the two did discover one another's work in 2007.
• However, one was born in Miami in January, while the other was born in Ft. Myers in March.
• Both have lived in Florida. However, Starline has been Floridian her entire life. The Dozerfleet founder also lived in Wisconsin for a few years, and in Michigan for about 30 years.
• Starline is right-handed, the other left-handed.
• While both Candis are college-age protagonists, Starline kept her work's scope to (mostly) probable situations, with a few exceptions involving squirrels. The scenarios in Ciem are more frequently fantastical than most of Starline's work would allow for, since that work was specifically intended to showcase that The Sims 2 could be used to make superhero productions with quasi-original characters, and do a modest job.

Levens vs. Jane

• Ciem opens with Candi Flippo at age 19, preparing to turn 20. Starline's Candi strip opened with an 18-year-old protagonist.
• Candi Flippo's two love interests were Denny Levens and Donte McArthur. Candi Jane's were Alex and Jon. But while Candi Flippo marries Denny, and later marries Donte after Denny is murdered by Musaran, Starline at the time stated she had no interest in Candi and Jon ever officially hooking up.
• Both Denny and Alex were brown-haired men who either had medical degrees or were in pursuit of one. Denny was also selfless, while Alex was selfish to extremes.
• Denny Levens also took seriously his "till death do you part" vow with Candi, and Musaran unfortunately made sure it played out that way. Alex never made his Candi any such promise, and then was quick to betray her.
• Candi Flippo grew to be between 5'5" and 5'7" in Classic Gerosha, while her Cataclysmic Gerosha version maxes out in height at 5'4". Starline's Candi is stated to be 5'6".
• Candi Flippo acquires a friend named Laurie Pegol, based on a real woman named Liz. The other Candi has a friend name Laura, at one point.
• Candi Flippo dyes her hair firetruck red, while the other Candi allegedly has "natural" pink hair.
• Candi Flippo battles pyromaniacs, including Don the Psycho. The other one was threatened with fire by a random psycho.
• When initially given a pregnancy scare, Candi Flippo quickly grows to want a child. Unfortunately, she miscarries. The other Candi is relieved to not be pregnant, due to having no interest in children. But while Candi Flippo-Levens half expected to get pregnant due to unprotected sex with her husband, the other Candi turned out to just be lactose-intolerant.
• The time periods were different. Classic Gerosha sets the events for Candi's life in 2019 in the opening, and then progresses to her life in 2025. The first season of Candi takes place in 2006, when Candi Flippo would've been about 7 years old! Candi Flippo being born in 1999, coincidentally, is one thing that didn't change when the Earth-G5 and Earth-G6 timelines gave way to the Earth-G7 timeline. Therefore, Candi is between 9 and 10 years of age during the events in Blood Over Water, even if the original miniseries doesn't feature her on screen in any form.
• Candi Flippo-Levens in Classic Gerosha is shown attending Viron University, which is supposed to be the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville, though its geography and architecture are merged with Ferris State. Starline's Candi unabashedly attends the University of Florida.
• Candi Flippo inherits a lot of money from her parents, but tries to hide how rich she is. The other Candi is portrayed as perpetually broke.
• Candi Flippo-Levens needs money and a job only to pretend to be normal, and hide the fact that she's Ciem. The other Candi is portrayed as simply a jobless loser.
• Candi Flippo-Levens is portrayed as a non-denominational Christian with liturgical leanings, while Starline's character is described as non-practicing Jewish.
• Candi Levens has an entire gallery of rogues, plus a race of evil aliens that believe she's some prophecied destroyer that they must kill before she kills them. Starline's Candi...just has bad friends.
• The two Candis even differ in their attitudes on alcohol. The one at Dozerfleet averts bars and rarely enjoys alcohol. Ironically, beer is served at the bowling alley where she does find work. She also later becomes a server at an upscale bar temporarily, and avoids college dive bars. The Starline version has been drunk before, by admission.
• Erin Flippo ingrains her Candi with an overwhelming sense of responsibility in life, as Ciem and as Candi, and even suggests that having no powers and not being Ciem would make no difference. Candi agonizes over this. By contrast, the only responsibility that Starline's Candi took seriously in early issues was her class homework.
• Both experience the loss of a lover. In Dozerfleet, Candi's loss is due to a homicidal maniac in a shrew costume, with her home then being destroyed by a suicide bomber. Starline's Candi merely loses her man to ego conflicts and treacherous friends.
• Starline's Candi has a notorious sweet tooth. By contrast, Candi Flippo appears to be indifferent towards candy.
• Candi Flippo wants to go into forensic investigation and criminal profiling, while Starline's Candi is a digital artist - like Starline herself.
• Neither Candi is particularly good at other languages besides English, though Starline's Candi having no ability to speak Spanish at all leads to her being taunted over it. Candi Levens learns just enough Spanish to get Latin Town to cooperate with her.
• Starline's Candi has done many things; but never worn an orange centipede costume to battle an alien invasion, fight crime, nor stop monsters. She does have a flying pet ferret named Menjou. The nearest equivalent to that in Dozerfleet would be Ferreto, the Everywhere Ferret Cop of Ferretsville, in the Dromedeverse. Earth-G5 Candi and Dromedeverse Ferreto, suffice to say, have never met. Menjou and Ferreto would probably not get along.
• When it comes to men, Candi Levens looks for character attributes and beliefs compatible with her own. Starline's Candi seems to be more shallow, concerned with genital sizes. The Dozerfleet Candi wants a man who shares her life mission, and can help her maintain her masquerade. Starline's Candi is more prone to exploitation by men that just want her for the bedroom benefits.
• Both Candis have a tan, but that tan implies different things. Candi Flippo-Levens is Indo-Persian Mulatto in Earth-G5, and this description has carried over into latter incarnations. Starline's Candi, by contrast, is "Jewish-Dutch-Caribbean."
• Differing art styles also convey a difference in artist agenda. Earth-G5 Candi was initially created in The Sims 2. This was to showcase to the Sims community that Sims storytelling can tell more complex stories and mythologies, and shouldn't be used merely to make knockoffs of Teen Mom. The other Candi was hand-drawn, by an artist wishing to showcase how "American-Japanese fusion" can be a good art style.
• The two Candis have very different family dynamics too. Candi Levens has a large family with its own complex mythology. Starline's Candi rarely has anything to do with her parents whatsoever.
• Candi Flippo-Levens has higher sexual mores than Candi Jane. While the former does have a very voracious sexual appetite, she's willing to keep herself chaste until in an at least somewhat-monogamous relationship, if not outright married. She doesn't aspire to one night stands. Even with Donte, Candi waits until they're practically engaged before finally succumbing to temptation. With Denny, she was able to save herself for marriage. By contrast, Candi Jane borders on being a "femcel," frustrated that no one will have sex with her, and not particularly bothered by what relationship she has with said man before said encounter. While Earth-G7 Candi isn't quite as morally upright as Earth-G5 Candi, she retains her emphasis on serial monogamy; turning down offers from Warren Bozil and Jack Mercreek in spite having lust for them. She is adamant about keeping herself only to the man she's dating / married to at that moment, whether it be Danny Loffin, Tyrone Menster, or Donte McArthur. She entertains a crush on Paul Driveway, but it never leads to them doing anything inappropriate. Candi Jane...cannot be guaranteed to have such modesty.
• In Earth-G5, contraceptives actually interfere with Candi's centipede powers, as they use hormones to trick the body into thinking it's already pregnant. Later incarnations do away with pregnancy completely stealing powers away; but Candi Flippo generally doesn't believe in them, in any incarnation of the character. Candi Jane claims to have "always been safe," implying she uses them almost religiously.
• Candi was touched by Denny putting her before himself, but only bonded with him the way she did based on having been previously misled into believing that Donte was dead. The shock at learning he was live, stripped of his powers, given cancer, and being held prisoner by the enemy after they faked his death to fool the world, and being saved for some epic public execution reveal later, shakes Candi almost to her core. By contrast, Candi Jane's more shallow criteria for men ensures that even if Alex were an ax murderer, she would have fallen for him.